5 signs you love your phone more than your partner

Two and a half years has been my longest romantic relationship to date. It was an unconditional love that led me to make crazy gestures, an intense connection that was often turbulent but ultimately made me stronger. I am of course referring to my Google Nexus 5; a smartphone that, as you know, made me suffer often and with which I was forced part ways with at the end of 2015.

As you're probably already aware, it's Valentine’s Day. Whilst this is a celebration of love and romance, it also provides us with a fantastic opportunity to recognize that we are often more attached to our smartphones than our partners.

Quite a few people have trouble being away from their smartphones, even when you don’t really need it. Are you more in attached to your phone than your partner? Here are a few telltale signs for you to consider.

1. You spend more time with your smartphone

Deloitte undertakes a global mobile consumer survey every year and has consistently found that people just can't put their phones down. A study by the TNS group revealed in 2015 that young adults aged between 16 and 30 spend an average of 3.2 hours on their smartphone, that’s almost an entire day every single week.

So, if your partner is complaining that you’re always on your phone or if you've started to turn down invitations to go to dinner or parties because you want to spend more quality time increasing your score on Candy Crush Saga, perhaps its time for you to reassess your relationship.

2. You turn on your smartphone first before you even say hello

Okay, it's time to be honest and answer the following question truthfully: what is the first thing that you do when you wake up in the morning? If your answer is 'look at my smartphone,' well you've pretty much admitted to being in love with your phone. Don't despair, you're not alone as about 60% of smartphone owners consult their smartphones within an hour of waking up.

Where have the good manners of yesteryear gone? Affection, the desire to caress, to give your partner a kiss good morning? Do yourself and them a favor - wait until you leave the house for work!

3. You give more gifts to your phone

Valentine’s Day is generally an opportunity to give your partner a present. That said, there's nothing preventing you from giving them gifts all year long!

If you are one of those people who gives their smartphone more presents than your partner, like a protective case, headphones or other accessories, then you may have a problem. Don’t worry, it’s a problem that many couples experience. Now you know about it you can do something about it, can't you?

4. You never forget to charge your phone but you do forget your anniversary

This can happen to people who are easily distracted or anyone who is simply bad with dates. However, this can cause huge problems. If you never forget to charge your phone but you forget your wedding anniversary or your child’s birthday, you will be annihilated by your partner.

Some advice for those who are stuck to their phones and don’t want to lead a double life with their smartphone: just put a reminder in your calendar and the problem is solved. No one will ever know!

5. You know more about your friend’s lives

Often, you are more up to date on your friends' status (or even those who aren’t necessarily your friends) than on the emotional state of your partner who is sitting right in front of you and is trying to talk to you. Take time to listen - it could be about something important in your relationship.

18 comments

It is as simple as possible:1. Spend more time with the phone because I always keep it in my pocket, and even at night, sleep with the phone under the pillow. Now the casing is resistant to water splashes, I can go through the rain with it, the casing is waterproof, I can also bathe with it.2. On the phone simply say "OK Google" and the phone greets me respectfully "OK Sorin". Sorin is my name, and the phone knows too well! Then I can converse with the phone using the voice and the phone does not mind if I ask all kinds of questions.3. If I'm careful with the phone and pay the subscription on time, then I can use all the phone's intelligence, which is very important for me, for all the other advantages that are mentioned in this list.4. A forgotten phone downloaded is as useful as a brick, so it is easier to remember to put it on loaded, only so I have access to this personal assistant who never gets angry with me and who does not make all kinds of reproach.5. Now I have the opportunity to know the details of the lives of friends or neighbours, because each offers a lot of information that is easy to analyze, and the phone helps me to sort them instantly.And I'd mention something:6. My phone has the casing so smooth and therefore must be touched so delicate, being careful that all the time is not scratched.

Phones are now the main friend for everyone and you can" t live without one, when i purchase any phone i always think about the Best way to look after it, so when i switch to another phone it still looks like how i first bought it, when Samsung offered the removable battery for the Galaxy S5 or Note 4 i always thought about keeping my phones running well and bought loads of spare batteries and power bank cases, i even shocked my friends at a Airport checkout when i had 6 spare batteries for my Super Note 4 as my bag got beeped, once i learned the Samsungs screens are very expensive to replace, i am always looking for Tempered Glasses to make sure i never break my phones screens, Flat screen ones are a lot better than the Edge screen ones just Samsung would have thought about before releasing there Edge screen phones, customizing my phones as always been on my mind so it always looks spot on when people see my phones

People love their phones and get obsessed with them only so far in that their phones help them to connect and engage with the "real" world in more engaging ways. So ultimately a person who has an intense interest in the world around themselves will "love" their phone more. It's not comparable with loving a person. You love a person because that person by themselves interests you and excites passion in you. You love your phone not because of the inherent characteristics of the phone, but because the phone is a conduit between yourself and the things and people you value in the real world.

Very true -- I use my smartphone to text my husband, so I can stay in touch with him without needing to bother him with a phone call when he's working. However, if given a choice between him and my PC... that might be more challenging. ;-)

It's a difficult issue of choices. I think such comparisons in life have no value. Whom would I choose between my father and my mother? What would I choose between my morning jog and my weekly workout? Unless such choices really crop up, which seldom occurs, there's no point mulling over them.